Valentine's Day is synonymous with the tradition of giving chocolates to loved ones. But there are still many who don't know why Valentine's Day is synonymous with chocolate. When viewed from a historical perspective, Valentine's Day began to be identified with chocolate only a few hundred years ago.
So, why is Valentine's Day synonymous with chocolate? Before answering this question, let's look at the explanation of what Valentine's Day is first below!
What Is Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day, or it can also be called Valentine's Day, is a day of celebration of affection which is celebrated every February 14th. Valentine's Day culture itself comes from Western countries, such as countries in Europe and the United States.
At first, Valentine's Day was a festival celebrated by the Romans which was held every mid-February. The festival is held to celebrate the arrival of spring, as well as holding fertility ceremonies and matchmaking between single men and women.
Valentine's Day, which we know as the day of expressing affection, originated when Saint Valentine, a Christian priest, opposed the decree of Emperor Claudius II Gothicus in Rome. At that time, Emperor Claudius II Gothicus decreed that young men should not marry because single men would make better soldiers.
Disagreeing with the Emperor's decision, Valentine still performed the wedding ceremony for the young couple in secret. When Valentine's actions became known, Emperor Claudius ordered that Valentine be arrested and given the death penalty. Since then, every February 14th is celebrated as Valentine's Day to commemorate the services of Saint Valentine.
Why is Valentine's Day Synonymous with Chocolate?
As is known above, originally Valentine's Day was only celebrated to welcome the arrival of spring and commemorate the services of Saint Valentine. Over time, Valentine's Day began to be identified with the day of love where people express their affection for loved ones and give gifts such as chocolate.
Chocolate began to be identified with Valentine's Day in the 1800s because of Richard Cadbury's marketing idea. At that time, chocolate was an expensive commodity that could only be enjoyed by the nobility and the wealthy, but Richard Cadbury managed to find a way to make chocolate with cheaper ingredients.
After making cheaper chocolate, Richard Cadbury began selling it in heart-shaped boxes decorated with roses and cupids . Roses and cupid itself are symbols of love in the Victorian era. Since then, people have started giving chocolates to their loved ones on Valentine's Day.
3 Beautiful and Delicious Valentine Chocolate Ideas
Valentine's Day is indeed the best time to give your loved ones delicious and unique chocolates, especially if the chocolates are homemade. Here, you can peek at some pretty and delicious Valentine's chocolate ideas.
- Chocolate Bon Bon
Bon bons , or bonbons , are sweet candies in the form of small balls covered in chocolate. The word bon bon itself comes from French and means "candy". In France, bon bon is usually made with a center filled with fruit, and can also have ganache , caramel, nuts or nougat .
The sweet taste and cute and beautiful shape make it one of the favorite chocolates that are usually given on Valentine's Day. Usually, the bon bon is wrapped in a pink heart-shaped box. You can also add various kinds of decorations to make it look prettier and according to the preferences of the person you want to give this bon bon to.
- Chocolate Truffles
Truffles are a chocolate dish made from a mixture of couverture chocolate such as Embassy Torres or a compound such as Tulip Choco Chips , sugar, butter and cream. Truffles usually taste like fruit or liquor ( wine , whiskey, etc.). Truffles tend to have a soft texture and melt in the mouth when they enter the mouth and touch the tongue.
- Chocolate Pralines
Pralines are chocolate sweets filled with nuts or ganache . There are many types of pralines that can be found, such as French pralines and Belgian pralines . In terms of texture, praline itself can have a variety of textures, from crunchy to quite soft and can melt in the mouth.
We hope that this explanation of why Valentine's Day is synonymous with chocolate can be useful to you. If you are interested in making Valentine's chocolate, you can use good quality chocolate from KioskCokelat . For more information about our products, click here .
